Route to the Medical Teaching Centre

The conference sessions all take place in the Medical Teaching Centre, in the Worsley Building at the University of Leeds. The following directions are for getting there on foot from the university accommodation at Clarence Dock. If you’re starting from anywhere else then first head for the city centre and pick the directions up below at a well-known location such as Briggate or Millennium Square.

Note that while the university and Clarence Dock are both on the fringes of the city centre, they’re on opposite sides, and it’s going to take you a little over half an hour to walk there even if you have a brisk pace and don’t get lost. (It took us much longer, but then we were taking these photos — and we did stop for lunch and a pint on the way.) You might be able to catch a bus.

There should be free parking at the university on Saturday and Sunday; for weekdays there’s a multi-storey carpark on Clarendon Way. If you’re driving up there from Clarence Dock please look around to see if there’s anybody to whom you could offer a lift.

First of all go to the Royal Armouries Museum, up a long-ish driveway from Clarence Dock:

Wander past the entrance and round to the left to the bank of the canal:

Head along the bank, with the canal on your left and the Armouries on your right:

Climb the steps at the end of the path and turn left:

Walk over the paved area on to the little road. Continue along the road till you get to the junction with the much bigger road. Turn right and go over the bridge:

After the bridge there’s a big complicated road junction. Use these crossings to get over to the left:

Walk past this small car park:

Continue up the one-way street past The Palace pub (the pale building in the above photo, and which is recommended as a drinking venue — there’s a large outside seated area at the back), and past Leeds Parish Church (whose tower can just be seen in the above picture). Cross the road opposite the church, and keep going up it along the pavement on the right:

Take the right fork at the next junction; you’re now on Kirkgate:

Go straight on, under the railway bridge:

Keep going, past the indoor markets (claimed to be the country’s oldest) on the right:

Eventually you’ll get to Vicar Lane. Cross it at this very large crossing, and keep going along Kirkgate (to the left of Greggs):

The street is all pedestrianized. Go straight on for one block till you reach the next major intersection, which is Briggate. This is the approach to Briggate:

Turn right so you’re heading north up Briggate. There’s very likely to be a stage erected there and some street theatre going on:

Wend your way up Briggate, around the building work that’s going on. On the left are several alleys and arcades. Turn along Thorntons Arcade, just before Starbucks (and opposite Borders, which contains another Starbucks):

Admire the clock in Thorntons Arcade (look up), then emerge at the other end on to Lands Lane. Turn right:

Walk the short distance to The Headrow, which has buses running along it. Cross The Headrow and head diagpnally left to Dortmund Square, with a statue of a man holding a barrow:

Keep up the diagonal as you cross Dortmund Square. At the far side turn left:

Head along that short bit of road on to Albion Street. The Light shopping centre and cinema are opposite. Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing that’s to the right, then keep going in approximately the same direction, heading down the gap that’s after Tiger Tiger and before the Hard Rock Café:

When the paved area runs out keep going straight on along the small road, past St Anne’s Cathedral on your right. Turn right just after the cathedral, on to Cookridge Street:

Walk up Cookridge street, crossing Great George Street, and turning on to Millennium Square on the left:

Millennium Square might look quite different at the time of the conference, cos there’s going to be some kind of brightly coloured giant inflatable tent thingy hosted there. Work your way round this obstacle to the far side of Millennium Square, then turn right so you’re heading up Calverley Street, with the civic hall on your right:

Go straight on at the crossing:

Turn left at the mini-roundabout. Not sharp left — that goes into the hospital — but just to the left of this rounded multi-storey carpark, on to Clarendon Way:

Go along Clarendon Way to the archway that’s formed by the Worsley Building bridging the road:

Turn left under the archway and go through the doors into the building:

Congratulations — you’ve made it! Now take the lift or stairs to the conference, on Level 7.